Daddy Duizhang

You smiled lovingly at your seven month old daughter crawling rapidly around the floor of the playroom, watching her as she picked up different toys and experimentally waved them around or tossed them into oblivion. Although she was so young, you were already starting to realize how intelligent she was. She could already say "mama", "baba", and even her brother's and some of Kris's bandmates' names (aka her uncles), and was constantly trying to lift herself up on her two tiny legs to start walking. She understood what the walker was for and although she couldn't quite get the stamina to support herself to get up to it, you knew she would start walking in no time.

"Mama!" she screamed, holding up a white stuffed unicorn and showing it to you with proud eyes as if she had made it herself. You laughed softly getting down in front of her, sitting at her level. Lay, one of Kris's bandmates, had gotten the stuffed toy for her the day she was born. In fact, you and Kris had barely had to buy your two children anything; having eleven bandmates meant a lot of presents. But Kris was one to spoil his babies, although he tried not to show it. You rolled your eyes fondly remembering the period of time where he would come home everyday with some new type of item for his son to play with, and then for his daughter as well once she was born.

"What is that, Meili?" you asked the baby girl, pretending to be amazed. She looked at you just as fascinated with the toy, blabbing on and on in her cute little voice. You smiled and listened carefully; you knew how offended the baby got when you didn't pay attention to her, even if you didn't understand most of what she was saying.

The front door suddenly opened and you heard your husband walk inside with your five year old son, Minzhe. Meili screamed in delight, crawling as fast as her tiny legs would take her to the door. You laughed and followed, smiling happily. You had really missed your boys.

Kris smiled immediately when he saw the baby girl charge towards him at full speed. He bent down and scooped her up, bouncing her playfully. "Hello there, princess," he greeted, pressing his lips to her forehead. The little girl screamed again in happiness and Kris only barely flinched; you were both slowly getting used to your daughter's loud screaming. Minzhe had always been quiet as a baby, and Meili was the complete opposite.

The tall man then looked at you, his loving and charming smile remaining on his lips. "Hi, baobei," he said softly, leaning over to kiss your cheek.

You smiled giving his cheek a quick peck as well. "Hey there." You looked at your big man and little man, cocking your head. "How was basketball?"

Every Thursday night, Kris took the little boy to the public courts and tossed the ball around with him. They had hoops for children and Kris would help his son shoot baskets and dribble the ball as best as he could. He was only four, but he was already proving to be pretty athletic. He constantly yammered on about wanting to play every single sport in the world- he already had basketball and soccer checked off his long list. Kris was hoping he would get into basketball just like he had when he was younger, but he didn't put too much pressure on the boy and you appreciated that. You wanted your children to follow their dreams, not their parents' dreams.

"It was fun!" Minzhe grinned at you, looking at Kris before looking at you again. "Baba helped me do a slam dunk! It was so cool. You should have seen it, mama."

You smiled, tilting your head. "Maybe you can show me tomorrow on the hoop in the driveway. But it's already pretty late... shouldn't you be getting ready for bed?"

Minzhe frowned thoughtfully and you already knew his brain was working on some sort of compromise to offer. You made eye contact with your husband who chuckled knowingly, still bouncing Meili in his strong arms.

"Mama, can I watch just one show on TV before I go to bed?" he finally asked, looking up at you with big eyes. Oh, how you hated that Minzhe inherited Kris's eyes, the eyes that could turn into puppy dog form within a matter of seconds. You could be just as stubborn as your husband, but saying no to him and Minzhe when they used their puppy dog eyes was the equivalent of kicking a puppy itself.

"Fine," you agreed, nodding your head. "Only one show. And then you get upstairs and get into bed with no complaints. Understood?" you added a slight tone of sternness in your voice, not wanting to sound like a total pushover. The boy grinned happily and nodded, rushing off to the living room. You could hear the TV within seconds and you rolled your eyes affectionately to yourself, sighing and looking back at your handsome husband.

He chuckled and cradled Meili with one arm, wrapping his other one around your waist and bringing you closer to his free side before giving you a peck on the lips. "Did this little girl behave?" he asked in his low tone, raising an eyebrow looking over at his daughter. The little one put her hands on his cheeks, smiling affectionately in response. You giggled softly and nodded.

"She was an angel. Surprisingly," you half joked, leaning over to kiss your baby's soft, black hair. Kris laughed softly and rubbed your back. "Should I get her bottle ready?" he asked, looking towards the clock in the corridor. It was already 7:30 PM, the time the girl usually was put to bed. However, her nap had been about two hours longer than regular, so she wasn't as tired as she usually was at that time. You nodded, though, knowing it was best to get the baby asleep before she could get into one of her cranky moods.

"That'd be great," she said softly, leaning upwards to kiss his cheek. "I'll get her changed."

You gently took the girl from his arms and brought her upstairs to the nursery, sighing in content as you lay her down on the changing pad. Hearing her endless amount of various noises, Minzhe's laughing from the living room, and Kris's clanking in the kitchen made you happy. As a child, you had never had much of a real feeling of family; you were extremely relieved that you and Kris hadn't made those mistakes. He was a compassionate husband and father, even though he seemed distant to most people at first. Most didn't realize he was a truly kindhearted person, one who cared greatly about others' feelings before his own. You loved the way he looked at his children as if they were the greatest things that had ever happened to him. When he was stuck with schedules, he made sure to call as much as he could and would even have endless conversations with Meili, pretending to understand and respond to her string of random syllables. When he had concerts and other performances, he brought the kids on stage as much as he could. You smiled remembering him piggybacking Minzhe around stage while Luhan carried Meili, bouncing her and walking around with her making fans practically melt.

And then there was the way he treated you.

When he was away on tour, he would video call you and talk to you until you fell asleep, no matter how long it took. Sometimes he would fall asleep on the call too, and you would happily wake up to his flawless face in the mornings on your phone screen. If he had to leave for work early in the morning, he would leave little notes in random places for you to find, mostly filled with sweet messages telling you to have a good day (and before Minzhe could read, some playful and stupid erted ones such as "I love your s!" and "Wear something y for me tonight!"). When you were sick or even simply on your period, he would drive all over town to get you things like your favorite ice cream, a few sweets and pastries from the bakery to share, and sometimes a tiny stuffed toy as if you were a little girl.

You loved every single little thing he did, your heart sometimes even ached from loving him so much.

___________________________________

"Goodnight, Meili," Kris whispered, setting the sleeping baby into her crib. You smiled holding onto his arm, looking down at your baby girl with a sense of proudness only a mother could feel. Kris noticed this and leaned over, kissing your lips at your height and mumbling, "She's starting to look more and more like you everyday. I think I'll be worrying a lot about her once she's a teenager and the guys start lining up."

You laughed softly as you kissed him back, bringing one arm around his neck whispering. "We have a long time until that happens. And I am not going to let you scare off all her guy friends!" You smiled, raising an eyebrow at your tall husband. He laughed quietly and kissed your forehead, rolling his eyes. "Mm, we'll see about that."

The two of you walked out of the nursery and into Minzhe's room, smiling proudly at your son obediently putting away his things and getting in his bed. "Goodnight, mama. Goodnight, baba." He smiled up at both of you sleepily, rubbing his eyes.

You smiled, leaning over and kissing his forehead. "Mm goodnight, Minzhe. I love you."

Kris smiled and gently ruffled the boys hair, also giving him a light peck on his forehead. "Night, kiddo. Baba loves you, too."

"I love you, too~" the sleepy boy murmured to his parents before fluttering his eyes shut. You smiled and took Kris's hand, walking with him out of the bedroom and into your own. He suddenly scooped you up, smiling at you playfully before laying you down on the bed and pulling the blankets over you, tucking you in as if you were a child.

You laughed, looking up at him with amusement. "Are you forgetting that I'm your wife and not your third child?" you asked, arching an eyebrow. He laughed and slid in on the other side of you, wrapping two strong and protective arms around you and murmured in his soft, unique voice.

"No. But you're still one of my babies, and I need to make sure you're all warm and comfortable, too."

Your heart beat a little faster hearing his sweet words; you had no idea how he managed to make you melt like this even after being together for years. You planted a kiss on his soft lips, cuddling yourself close to his body. You never took the times he was home for granted. Instead, you savored every second of it and kept it locked inside your mind to help you get through the times you had to be without him. He made everything safer and warmer, even by just standing there.

"You alright, baobei? You're being quiet tonight," he mumbled, pressing his forehead lightly against yours and keeping his arms around your hips. You smiled looking into his big, dark eyes, barely nodding your head whispering back, "Mm, I'm fine. Just a little tired. Meili has that effect on people." You laughed softly and he laughed with you, kissing you again and running his long fingers through your dark, wavy hair.

"Then you should get some sleep, my love. Don't worry, I'll be here tomorrow when you wake up. I took the day off."

You wanted to kiss him over and over again in happiness; you loved when he said those five words. Not only because he could help with the children, but because you could all spend time together as a family. Sighing happily, you kissed him gently and spoke softly and playfully.

"In that case, I expect breakfast in bed to be the first thing I wake up to."

"Oh, I'll give you breakfast in bed alright." He smirked and winked at you playfully, making you melt once again. He had no idea how dangerous his winks could be.

"I think I might want a midnight snack, instead," you smirked, winking back at him. He widened his eyes and immediately reached for his pants but you laughed and grabbed his hands. "Yah, I was kidding! I'm exhausted right now, Kris." You poked the slight pout that appeared on his lips, smirking deviously. "Maybe next time."

"Hey, that's my line!" he growled playfully, nipping on your finger gently. You laughed in surprise and pushed his head away, giggling when he kept moving back to shower your face with kisses. He finally let you push him away, laughing and poking your nose. "Fine, I'll let you sleep. But then I want some breakfast in bed tomorrow, too."

"Got it," you agreed, giggling softly and cuddling into him. "Goodnight, Ben Ben."

"Mm goodnight, baobei. Sweet dreams." He your hair and pressed his lips against your head softly, gently humming Black Pearl until both of you finally fell asleep.